Chapter 17: The Echoing Abyss

There was no up or down, no past or future—only the endless swirl of time-light. Elliot Grayson floated weightless, his body flickering between younger and older versions of himself like a broken slideshow.

His mind felt stretched, every thought doubled, tripled, echoed a thousandfold. Is this what it feels like to be unbound from time? His eyes darted to the glowing fissure far below—no, far above—he couldn't tell anymore. It pulsed like a dying heart.

The Paradox Engine, he realized. It’s still active.

A voice called out from the rift, sharp as broken glass. "You think you can run from me, Rookie?"

Elliot spun, eyes scanning the void. He knew the voice well. His future self. The Collector. He stepped through the air like it was solid ground, boots clicking on invisible surfaces. His obsidian suit shimmered with gold accents, his eyes burning with calm intensity.

“No running,” Elliot muttered, gripping his stabilizer. “Only one way out of here.”

The Collector sneered. “And which version of 'you' is talking now? The scared little genius from the university? The desperate recruit who begged for field duty? Or maybe...” He leaned in, eyes narrowing. “The version who knows I’m right.”

“I’m none of them,” Elliot said, voice steady. He glanced at his stabilizer, heart pounding. He was out of options, but that’s exactly where he thrived. Unpredictable. Be unpredictable.

“Still clinging to that idea, huh?” The Collector paced around him. “But I know every unpredictable choice you’ll make, Rookie. Every angle, every possibility.” He gestured to the space around them, where shards of broken timelines hovered like mirrors. “I've lived them all.”

“Then you should know how this ends,” Elliot said, activating his stabilizer. Blue sparks danced around his hand as he pointed it—not at his future self—but at himself.

“What are you—”

FLASH.

A pulse of blue-white energy erupted from the stabilizer, enveloping Elliot entirely. His vision blurred as time broke away from him. He wasn’t tethered anymore. No gravity, no rules. For a moment, he saw himself in every possible form: agent, prisoner, hero, villain. All of him. All at once.

If I’m all of them, then I’m also none of them.

pls ignore বলছো কখন কি না জানি কত অল্প কিছু ডেটা সেন্টার বসাতে হবে বলে মনে করেন কি না জানি কত কি করে সম্ভব হবে বলে মনে করেন কি না জানি কত কি করে সম্ভব হবে বলে মনে এ ধরনের ঘটনা ঘটেছে তা নিয়ে আলোচনা সভা ও দোয়া মাহফিল পরিচালনা করেন কি না জানি কত কি করে সম্ভব হবে বলে মনে করেন কি না জানি কত কি করে সম্ভব হবে বলে মনে করেন কি না জানি কত কি করে সম্ভব হবে বলে মনে করেন কি না জানি কত কি করে সম্ভব হবে বলে মনে করেন কি না জানি কত কি করে সম্ভব হবে বলে মনে করেন কি না জানি কত কি করে সম্ভব হবে বলে মনে করেন কি না জানি কত কি করে

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